News of the Week
From Germany and the USA. 51st calender week
Selection in English with links to original German language sources
FROM GERMANY:
No Christmas parcels from Russia
Whether books, toys or cosmetics: Christmas parcels from Russia are largely prohibited and could be confiscated, warns German customs. Many Germans from Russia and Russians living in Germany still have relatives in Russia. But also Russian citizens who temporarily enter Germany are not allowed to import private cars. The reason: the sanctions imposed by the European Union. This includes many other personal items such as cell phones, laptops, cosmetics or toilet paper.
Berliner Zeitung, December 15, 2023
Queer nativity play in Berlin church
The feminist Berlin choir and performance collective “Heart Chor” will present its version of the birth of Jesus in a Protestant church in the city center. The "unique and contemporary interpretation of the Christmas story" tells the journey of Josy and Marie, a queer couple from a rural area who unexpectedly find themselves expecting a child. The nativity play will be followed by a party "with a drag show and a meal together". The event is financed by church innovation funds.
evangelisch.de, December 18, 2023
Ukrainian defense minister to call up men living in Germany
Up to 500,000 Ukrainian men between the ages of 25 and 60 in Germany and other countries who are fit for military service should be asked to report to the armed forces' recruitment centers. According to the defense minister, those who do not comply with the request will face sanctions. Around 190,000 Ukrainian men of military age live in Germany alone, and 650,000 in the entire European Union. The German government has recently decided to increase its aid to Ukraine.
FROM THE USA:
Bipartisan congressional resolution calls to drop charges against Julian Assange
“Regular journalistic activities, including the obtainment and publication of information, are protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States," the resolution reads. The Obama administration decided not to indict Assange in 2013, both the Trump and Biden administrations have continued to pursue his prosecution.
The swimmer Riley Gaines nominated “Problematic Woman” of the Year
In 2022, the 12-time All-American and three-time Southeastern Conference champion tied with male swimmer Lia Thomas, who says he identifies as transgender. Since being forced to swim against Thomas, Gaines continues to advocate the protection of women’s sports and female-only spaces. She has received “death threats”, been held for ransom for over four hours, been hit, spit on, and bottles have been thrown at her.
Daily Signal, December 21, 2023
Google lays out its censorship plan for 2024
With the 2024 presidential election less than a year away, both Google and its video sharing platform, YouTube, have confirmed that they plan to censor content they deem to be “harmful” in the run-up to the election. The tech giant noted that it already censors content that it deems to be “manipulated media” or “hate and harassment” using large language models (LLMs) to experiment with “building faster and more adaptable” censorship systems.
Reclaim The Net, December 22, 2023
Amateur gay porn is said to have been filmed in the US Senate
A video shows two men having sex in one of the conference rooms of the Hart Senate Office Building. The video was published in pixelated form by the Daily Caller. According to the conservative US platform, Aidan Maese-Czeropski, a legislative aide for Democratic Maryland Senator Ben Cardin, had shared the video in a gay chat group in US politics. His partner in the video is said to be a politician from Germany who is currently studying at the Elliott School of International Affairs, just a few minutes' drive from the Senate building. Maese-Czeropski was fired from his job.
Rabbi shocked about anti-Semitism after Berlin trip
Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center has condemned the explosion of anti-Semitism in Germany and the catastrophic miscasting of some so-called "anti-Semitism commissioners" before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives. According to the German Federal Criminal Police Office, there have been 4,400 anti-Semitic hate crimes since October 7. According to a study, however, the number is four times as high. This means that every 14th of the 250,000 Jews in Germany has been the victim of a hate crime in the last two months.